2 Thessalonians 3:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

NIV: Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.

NASB: And yet do not regard that person as an enemy, but admonish that one as a brother or sister.

CSB: Yet don’t consider him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

NLT: Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.

KJV: Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

NKJV: Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

In the prior verse, Paul commanded that those who claim to be Christians but exhibit laziness are to be put to shame and avoided by other believers. The intent there, as in all such instructions in the New Testament, is to encourage the offender to repent and be restored (Galatians 6:1).

Here, Paul interjects a note of compassion into the concept of withdrawing social contact from an unrepentant offender. He exhorts his readers to avoid considering the offender an enemy. Instead, they should consider him a brother, and treat these actions as a loving means of correction. Breaking off social contact with him was going far enough. There was no need to treat him as an outcast by breaking off all contact with him.

We should also note that this passage, combined with 1 Corinthians 5 and Matthew 18:15–20, presents a spectrum of responses to sin within a congregation. The more serious the sin, it seems, the more overtly the church ought to insist on separation until the offender repents. All of this, however, is meant to be done with a loving goal in mind: the restoration of the one who is sinning!

When a Christian deserves church discipline, a church can do wrong in two ways. It can overlook the wrong and take no action. Or it can go too far in regards to the offender by treating him like an enemy, speaking harshly about him, and cutting him off from all contact with the church. Because believers are brothers in the same family, we should treat an offending brother with compassion. We must lovingly confront his wrongdoing, but graciously help him repent and be restored to fellowship with God and his fellow believers. While it's crucial that churches exhibit holiness as part of our witness to the world (1 Peter 2:12), shooting our wounded is never a good option.

Second Thessalonians 3:6–15 addresses the sin of idleness. Paul calls on the church at Thessalonica to avoid any brother who makes idleness habitual. He reminds his readers that he and his associates were not idle when they were in Thessalonica. They did not assume they'd be pampered, rather they refused to eat without paying for the meal. They had the right to receive financial and material support for their ministry, but they chose to labor to the point of exhaustion so they would not burden anyone. Their hard work served as an example for the Christians to follow. Paul explains that idleness had turned some members of the church into busybodies, and he prescribes the disciplinary action the church should follow to put an end to idleness.

Paul expresses confidence that the Thessalonians would do what he commanded. He addresses the sin of idleness in the lives of some of the believers at Thessalonica, commanding the church to avoid an idle brother. Paul also points to his own example of diligence, when he refused to rely on charity. Paul clearly separates charity for the needy from foolishly supporting those who are merely lazy: If anyone is not willing to work, don't feed him. The letter ends with a prayer for peace among the Thessalonian believers. Paul also assures his readers that 2 Thessalonians is authentic because it bears his signature.

The prior chapter explained the events which would precede the ''day of the Lord:'' a time of severe judgment. Among these were a time of deep spiritual rebellion and the rise of a figure referred to as the ''man of lawlessness.'' Chapter 2 ended with a reference to the Thessalonians being established in good works. This chapter continues that theme, focusing on the need for Christians to exhibit a strong work ethic. This extends to the way the church applies charity, not wasting it on those who are capable of work, but simply choose not to. These thoughts complete Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians.

Second Thessalonians follows Paul's earlier letter to the same group of Christian believers. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul had praised them for their faithfulness and given them reassurances about the day of the Lord. This included teachings on the rapture and a description of death as ''sleep'' from a Christian viewpoint. In this second letter, Paul corrects possible misunderstandings about those ideas. Among his teachings here are the importance of a good work ethic and God's impending judgment on sin, including judgment on those who persecute the Christian church. Paul also provides the Thessalonians with reassurances that they have not somehow missed out on Christ's return.